Prairie Hive Mag, Issue One

And, it's done.  After a super long week and weekend, we finally got the Prairie Hive Mag, Issue One, up and running at Prairie Hive.

It has been a super fun & learning process along the way.  Not gonna lie, last night around 10:00pm {after having worked since noon on sunday and 11am - 3:30am satuday, oh and 4pm - 10pm on thursday, and all the days before} I wasn't sure it was actually going to happen.  We kept hitting wall, after wall, after wall when dealing with all the file compression, uploading, linking, etc.  BUT, around 11pm last night...it worked!  And then we saw a couple of corrections that needed to be made, so another hour later it was finally done.

It is very exciting to see something you have worked on for so long finally come to completion.  That's one thing that I love about interior design.  You start with something, or sometimes nothing, and in the end you have results that you can see and be apart of.

So, all that to say, take a few minutes and check it out!  Our next one will be out in August and will feature a totally different style of house and everything.

Due to all of the above, I haven't made it to the grocery store for this week.  Probably needs to happen soon.  For my sake, here is what I'm thinking for meals this week....

Sauteed Shrimp w/ Sherry and Chiles {didn't get to it last week}

Indian Food - Tikka Masala w/ Basmati Rice & Naan

Beef Taco Salad

Grilled Chicken & Vegetables w/ Red Potatoes

Have a great Monday!

What's Cookin' This Week?

We are back from beautiful Destin, Florida.  Such a great vacation....doing nothing but laying on the beach.  It doesn't get much better than that!  But alas, it is back to the real world.  Last night we painted our whole living room and hallway...took foreva but it is done! 

Now I need to get groceries so we can eat around here.  This is what's on my menu for this week...

Memorial Day Dinner with the Hays'....Herbert's Chicken stuffed with crawfish & jalapenos, Red Beans & Rice, Asparagus, Beer-Cheese Bread and finish it off with Chocolate Chip Pie

Pita Pizza & Salad

Sauteed Shrimp with Sherry & Chiles - new recipe to try

Mushroom & Swiss Patty Melts with Sweet Potato Fries & Salad

MyMichael's Grilled BBQ Chicken & Fresh Green Beands, with Homemade Macaroni & Cheese

Are you trying any new recipes this week???

what's cookin' this week?

This week is going to be fast and furious.  With bookclub and a Prairie Hive meeting, Friday is going to come fast...and Friday we head to Destin!  So excited.  So, here is what I have on my menu...

Sausage & Rice Casserole with Salad
Chicken Tostadas
Turkey Sausage with Black Beans and Rice

Have you tried any new recipes lately?

fun weekend & what's cookin' this week

My, what a busy weekend!  Saturday Sarah and I hit up the Jenks Church Arts & Crafts show where we both picked up some pretty cute finds.  We also headed to downtown Jenks and did a little bit of antique shopping...love downtown Jenks!

Once I got home myMichael and I headed down to the Harley Davidson store here in Tulsa.  MyMichael has wanted a bike for years.  He really wanted one when we lived in Dallas and I just wasn't too keen on that idea w/ the crazy traffic and all.  Since being back in Tulsa {4 years} we have gone a couple of times and looked.  You see, he is the more financial savvy, "is this a good idea", one in our relationship and has talked himself out of getting one multiple times.  When it came up again about a month ago I was curious to see if he would actually go through with it!  As of Thursday afternoon he had talked himself out of it...as of Friday morning it was back on the table but we were just going to "look" on Saturday.  Well, he finally pulled the trigger and got himself a bike!  He got a 2011 Harley Davidson Sportster Nightster.  Here is an extremely blurry iphone pic of us ringing the bell {when you buy a bike you have to ring the bell}.

To say the least, he is a very happy guy right now!  I'm kind of excited as well...I've never been on a bike.  He's going to get good and comfortable and then we will look at a different seat for both of us to ride!

Mother's Day is always fun.  This year I had a Prairie Hive photo shoot, for our online magazine, in the afternoon, so we did Mother's Day dinner.  KJ {my sister} was in town, so we both cooked dinner which was a blast...and a mess.  I managed to overflow a pitcher and she dumped my salt bowl over onto the floor.  I made Cherry Pepper Chicken {get the recipe here}, rice, and roasted brussel sprouts, and she made the stuffed peppers.  Friday night I made some sugar cookies, so for dessert we made ice cream sandwiches with them.  Summer Berries ice cream filling, rolled in sprinkles.  Yummy!

I am way behind on all things food for this week.  Usually Sunday is my grocery/menu planning day, but that didn't happen.  So, here goes...I want to try making an Indian dish in the crock pot.  I found a recipe that I am tweaking, so we will see how that turns out. 

Indian Beef Korma w/ Basmati Rice & Garlic Naan

Chicken Quesadillas

BBQ Chicken & Grilled Vegetables

Grilled Pizza

Hope everyone else had a fabulous weekend!  Oh, and how about this muggy weather.....already!?!?!?

what's cookin' this week

it's a short list this week.  one night we are going out to celebrate mymichael finishing up the spring sememster of his masters program.  and don't forget cinco de mayo on thursday!!!!  we are having a prairie hive meeting that night.  i'm doing the cilantro lime shrimp that is so easy and tasty.  can't decide on a dessert....baked fudge....or mom's new bread pudding recipe......

swiss steak with rice and salad

spicy stir-fried chicken & spinach

cilantro lime shrimp & rice w/ homemade gruacamole & salsa {cinco de mayo meeting with prairie hive gals}

have a great week!

the breakfast dilemma + what's cookin' this week

i am not a breakfast person.  i like typical breakfast food okay, but it's not something that i crave and i am certainly in no mood to cook in the morning.  so, each day i am faced with the same question....what do i eat for breakfast?  i can easily skip it and wait until lunch, but i know that it's really good for you to eat breakfast...it kick starts that metabolism.  many times i just have a granola bar or something, which is fine, but i get tired of the same things over and over again.  if you have any great breakfast suggestions, please leave me a comment!

onto this weeks menu.  i was out of town for a couple of days last week, so i am carrying over a few of the recipes that we didn't get to.

crock pot brisket w/ poppyseed fruit coleslaw & asparagus w/ cherry tomatoes

ancho chicken tacos with cilantro slaw & avocado cream

mini meatloaf w/ homemade mac & cheese & green beans

sauteed shrimp w/ sherry & tomatoes

any new recipes in your kitchen???

  

what's cookin' this week

crock pot hobo dinners

chicken sausage succatash & fresh green beans

sweet chili salmon w/ rice and salad

corned beef w/ potatoes & carrots, sauerkraut & fresh green beans

just fyi....the turnovers, quesadillas, and pizza from last weeks menu were awesome!  i liked doing the quesadillas in the oven...super easy and that roated veggie pizza....must try!

what's cookin' this week

the crock pot chicken and dumplings that were on my menu last week.....were awesome!  and they were super easy.  mymichael gave them his approval.  thank you cori for the recommendation!

mymichael and i tried out marco's pizza, located at 81st & garnett, and it was tasty!  we loved the pizza crust.

i received my new cooking light magazine in the mail, so this week's menu contains all new recipes for me to try.  have you ever tried mustard greens?  i haven't, but that quesadilla recipe looks pretty yummy, so we shall see.

chicken, mustard greens, & gruyere quesadillas

bucatini with green peas & pancetta with salad

roasted vegetable ricotta pizza

savory sausage, spinach, & onion turnovers

any great recipes you have stumbled on recently?

what's cookin' this week

beef & zucchini enchiladas

crock pot chicken & dumplings {thank you cori}

grilled island bbq tilapia with cilantro lime rice

lemon pepper shrimp scampi with noodles

a few new recipes to try this week.  enchiladas are actually suppose to just be zucchini enchiladas, but for those that know my husband, be is all about the meat.  plus I have left over ground beef from the calzones i made last week.  i am super excited about the chicken and dumplings.  my friend cori tried them and said they were pretty tasty.  dumplings are in fact mymichael's favorite food and i never make them.  i tried a "quick" version one time that used tortillas as the "dumplings" and he politely, or not so, informed me that those were NOT dumplings.  so, hopefully this will get a better review from him! 

let's talk about sam's club for a moment.  i love sam's.  every sunday afternoon i go grocery shopping my parents and we always go to sam's.  why?  b/c it's awesome.  yes, they have large quantities, but hello people...i can get a thing of mushrooms for $2.68 and it is twice as big as the thing i get at the regular grocery store for $2.99.  or how about the 15 pound bag of basmati rice that i bought for $12?  the same rice would be $9 for a quarter of the amount.  we eat quite a bit of shrimp and fish and sam's has a great frozen selection.  that is where the "island bbq tilapia" is from.  it comes already in its marinade in individual packets, so you just cut open and pop in the oven or on the grill.  they also have a great blackened salmon.

hope everyone has a great week!

what's cookin' this week

i'm loving the warmer weather!  tonight we busted out the charcoal grill for burgers.  they were yummy!  i'm trying a couple new recipes and making up a couple...we shall see how they go!

cabernet braised beef short-ribs w/ egg noodles & roasted broccoli {i'm trying it in the crock pot}

boursin chicken & kale with orzo

cilantro lime shrimp & rice

grilled peppercorn crusted steak w/ grilled corn and salad

what's cookin' this week

mexican lasagna {didn't get to it last week}

grilled hamburgers & corn w/ sweet potato fries

beef & broccoli stir-fry

chicken piccata w/ orzo with roasted broccoli and fresh green beans

have you stumbled on to any fabulous recipes lately?  if so....please share in the comments section!

what's cookin' this week?

mexican lasagna

blackened salmon cajun pasta

sausage & rice casserole & salad

hot turkey pastrami, provolone & mushroom sandwiches w/ sweet potato fries

blackened salmon cajun pasta

for this recipe i am using frozen blackened salmon from sam's.  if you don't like salmon, you can replace with chicken.

2 tsp. cajun seasoning

2 tablespoons margarine

16 slices of bell pepper {any color}

8 large mushrooms, sliced

2 green onions, sliced

3 to 4 cups cream {i'm going to try it with FF half & half}

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. lemon pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. pepper

8 oz. linguine cooked and drained

grated parmesan cheese

saute peppers, mushrooms, and onions with the margarine and cajun seasoning.  cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until tender.  add cream and remaining seasonings; heat through.  add linguine and toss; heat through.  sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  place pasta on plate and top with blackened salmon.

enjoy!

what's cookin' this week + recipe {asian salisbury steak}

full moon cafe tortilla soup

asian salisbury steak w/ rice and brussell sprouts

spicy shrimp fried rice

homemade pizza

blackened salmon w/ orzo

indian food

asian salisbury steak

12 ounces lean ground beef

3/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper

3/4 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs

4 tablespoons hoisin sauce, divided

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

3 teaspoons canola oil, divided

4 bunches or 2 4-ounce bags watercress, trimmed {16 cups}

1/2 cup shao hsing rice wine or dry sherry

1.  place rack in upper third of oven; preheat the broiler.  coat a broiler pan and rack with cooking spray.

2.  gently mix beef, bell pepper, inions, breadcrumbs, 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce and ginger in a medium bowl until just combined.  form the mixture into 4 oblong patties and place on the broiler pan rack.  brush the tops of the patties with 1 teaspoon oil.  broil, flipping once, until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.

3.  meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over high heat.  add watercress and cook, stirring often, until just wilted, 1 to 3 minutes.  divide the watercress among 4 plates.  return the skillet to medium-high heat, add rice wine {or sherry} and the remaining 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce and stir until smooth, bubbling and slightly reduce, about 1 minute.  top the watercress with the salisbury steaks and drizzle with the pan sauce.

**i have not done the watercress part of the recipe.  sounds great, just never remember to buy it.  if you try it, let me know if it is good!**

what's cookin' this week?

chicken & kale with orzo and salad

chicken pot pie

BBQ brisket & ham w/ corn, tabouli & cornbread

mimi's hamburger meal, brussel sprouts, & couscous

shrimp tacos

hope everyone has a fabulous week!

what's cookin' this week

i have a couple of confessions to make...

#1  the crock pot meatloaf has been on my list 3 times now b/c things keep coming up.  BUT i am making it MONDAY!

#2  you will notice that the pork barbacoa is on my list again {it was there last week}.  the reason being...i only did half the recipe!  i marinated the pork, cooked the pork, shredded it, and then ate it.  it was good, but i completely missed the last half of the recipe where you add a whole sauce with chipotle peppers and and then let it cook another 1 1/2 hours.  so, we will try it again this week and hope to do the WHOLE recipe!

#3  i tried the moroccan chickpea chili that was on my menu last week and it was not good, unless you LOVE chickpeas.  so, don't waste your time!  {i must apologize to dave and sarah for subjecting them to it!}

onto the menu:

crockpot meatloaf w/ fingerling potatoes & green beans

barbacoa pork rice bowls

chicken shitake & wild rice soup

chicken parmesan with orzo and spaghetti sauce from "the hill" in st. louis {thanks sarah!}

spicy stir-fry chicken & spinach

happy monday!

what's cookin' this week

this week i have a couple carry-over's from last week and all the other recipes are a first time try for me.  wish me luck!

chicken enchiladas

crock pot meat loaf with red potatoes

barbacoa pork rice bowl

black bean burgers w/ mango salsa

moroccan chickpea chili w/ orange & green olive salad

i have had quite a few people ask for some easy week night recipes.  so, each day this week i will give out at least one recipe from my family cook book that my mom gave me a few years ago for christmas.  they will be easy, quick and tasty!  some may have pics, some won't.  so, for this week's first recipe.....

chicken spaghetti

1 1/4 cup cooked spaghetti

1 can white meat chicken

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1 cup shredded cheese {any kind}

1 can 99% fat free cream of chicken soup

2 tablespoons picate sauce {any kind works, could be chipotle flavored, regular, anything}

1/2 cup chopped onion

cook spaghetti, drain and set aside.  mix chicken, onion, cream of chicken soup, green peppers, picate sauce and spaghetti together.  pour into greased 9x13 baking pan.  top with cheese.  cook at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.  start in cold oven.  this is a great dish to make ahead and freeze...skip baking, wrap in foil and pop in freezer until you are ready to bake it. 

chocolate mousse

{the easiest mousse you will ever make!!!}

1/2 cup chocolate syrup {i use the sugar free or lite version}

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups fat free cool whip {one small tub}

allow cool whip to thaw {by sitting on counter....do not microwave it!}, it should not be frozen.  in a medium bowl, combine cocoa, vanilla and syrup until smooth; fold in cool whip.  do not stir in a circular motion...fold it in otherwise it will start to break down.  once it is mixed you can either spoon into bowls and eat as is or it is wonderful in the small pre-made phyllo cups that you can buy at the store.  i also put it in the individual sized graham cracker crusts that you can buy at the store.  if you want, it is great to top with any kind of fruit. 

happy monday!

what's cookin' this week

pernil {puerto rican pork} with black beans & rice

homemade pizza & salad

sesame beef stirfry

crockpot meatloaf {new recipe from mom} w/ red potatoes & green beans

chicken enchiladas & salad

cuban paninis

shrimp & black bean chili

happy monday!

what's cookin' this week?

grilled chicken w/ brussel sprouts & cous cous

{i know...you are thinking "brussel sprouts???"  but trust me...they are tasty!  i will be doing a recipe post with them later this week}

chicken tikka masala w/ rice

cilantro lime shrimp & rice w/ salad

bbq sandwich & slaw

{bbq is with leftover brisket & ham from the holidays that i froze}

green chile chili & cornbread

ranch chicken salad

• 1/4 cups Mayo Fat Free

• 1/4 cups Lowfat Sour Cream

• 1/4 cups Cilantro

• 1 tsp. grated lime zest 

• 1 lime, halved 

• 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 

• 1/4 teaspoons ground red pepper 

• 1 pound cooked chieckn breast, cut into bite-size pieces OR 1 can of canned chicken 

• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 can Whole Kernel Corn, drained

• 1 Bell Peppers, any color, diced

• 1/2 Red Onion, chopped 

• 2 cups Bibb Lettuce

-in large mixing bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, cumin, and ground red pepper.  stir in chicken, beans, corn, bell pepper and onion.

-divide lettuce evenly among 4 plates and top with chicken salad.

any new recipes from your kitchen?

what's cookin' this week

this week i am trying out a couple of new recipes from my new cooking light magazine.  they sound pretty yummy, so we will see!  here's what i have on my menu this week...

salisbury steak with mushroom gravy and red potatoes

chicken & black bean-stuffed burritos

chicken with balsamic vinegar pan sauce & orzo

taco salad with tortilla chips

any good recipes on your menus?

what's cookin' this week

beef and baby bella mushroom pattty melts w/ roasted potatoes

eggplant bolognese

cilantro lime shrimp and rice

chicken tacos with apple salsa

what are you cooking this week? 

any great fall recipes to share???